And the Adventure Begins. . .

I really have no idea -- well, very little idea -- what I'm doing here. I've been teaching for an online school for over seven years now, and yet I feel like a newbie. But I really want to do this, so I'm just jumping in. I'm an old dog trying to learn a new trick.

I suppose the first thing I should do is introduce myself. My name is Dawn, and I have six grown children and 16 grandchildren. I teach eighth grade language arts for an online charter school in Ohio. I love reading, although I rarely have time to read for enjoyment anymore, except during summer break. I enjoy bike riding along the towpath trails and the Rails to Trails paths here in Ohio -- during nice weather, of course. I work out of an office in my home, where I spend endless hours writing lessons and grading e-papers. Having a blog of my own will give me a good reason (excuse) to postpone my schoolwork.

I live in a modest home with my husband, my son, his wife, and their three small children. It gets crazy sometimes, but I raised my six children in this three-bedroom, one-bathroom house, so not much phases me. I thoroughly, totally, and profoundly love being a grandmother. What a blessing to just marvel at the miracle of children -- children that you helped create -- without those pesky worries and responsibilities that go along with them. Zoe pooped in the bathtub? You can laugh about it. Onias threw up on the bedroom floor? Awww.... poor baby, that's too bad. And I can give them a kiss and go into my office and close the door. It's wonderful!

Of course, like every other English teacher I know, my dream is to someday write books. Finding the time is the difficult thing. I also would love to start my own "Mom School." I homeschooled a couple of my own kids briefly, and I'm a strong supporter of homeschooling (even though I am part of the "establishment"). My dream is to someday teach other people's children in my own home -- for money, of course. I know there are people out there who hate the public schools, but who can't afford a private school for their children, and who would like to homeschool them but feel they are not qualified or they have to work, and would love to have someone else teach them in a personal, home environment. Boy! How's that for a stringy sentence? If I were grading this paragraph, I would have to write, "Dawn, this is a stringy sentence. Separate it into two or three smaller sentences to make it easier for your readers to understand." But I'm the boss, and if I want to write a stringy sentence for dramatic effect, then I will. After all, I don't have to worry about anyone grading this.

Anyway, that's a little about me. I've had some memorable life experiences -- mostly good, some not-so-good -- but I'm still here, and I'm still plodding along this journey. I'm sure that in time I will share many of them with you, as well as my day-to-day observations and reflections. My father passed away on Thanksgiving Day of 2005, and my mother passed away on Mother's Day of 2007. I have become more acutely aware of my own mortality, of the swift passing of time, and of the importance of cherishing every day and every experience within it.